“How am arm, Thag?”
“Arm am good, Og. How am leg?”
“One me have left?”
“Umm. Yes?”
“It am good. Other leg no good. Other leg gone. Stick help Og.”
“Good. That good.”
“That leg gone?!”
“No. No. That stick help. Is good that stick help.”
“Oh. Okay. Thag?”
“Og?”
“Me am hungry.”
“That am too bad, that.”
“Am you hungry?”
“Me am hungry not so much. No.”
“But, it am be three days since we eat.”
“You am deaf? Me am say me no hungry, so me am no hungry!”
“You know what they am say? Man who am tired of eating am tired of living.”
“No. Man who am tired of bang-bang am tired of living.”
“If man no eat, man no have energy for bang-bang.”
“Tell me about it! Dita am unhappy with Thag performance. Very unhappy.”
“Aha! So, you am hungry?”
“Yes! Yes, Og, you drag it out of me with you logic! Me am hungry! Me am very hungry!”
“So…maybe we hunt now, yes?”
“Hunting good. When me have energy again, maybe me am go hunting.”
“Maybe we hunt…together?”
“What am you saying?”
“That we should…we should coordinate our hunting efforts so we am capture big game. We am feed tribe for many moons.”
“That am out of question.”
“But –”
“We hunt alone. All good things come out of individual effort. Anything that benefits whole group am…am…there am no word for it, but it am bad. It am very bad.”
“But, Thag, exactly how am individual effort benefit group?”
“It am trickle down to rest of member of group, Og. Everybody am know that! It am like summer rain dripping in cave.”
“Trickle down? Like summer rain? In cave?”
“Yes! One man kill mammoth, rest of tribe can live off mammoth leftovers. Uhh…okay, trickle down am not exactly right image for dead meat –”
“It am kind of gross.”
“Yes, but, you get idea.”
“But, how am one person able to kill a mammoth? They am too big for one person to kill!”
“Oh, it am possible. You need to find mammoth weakness –”
“But, mammoth have no weakness! That what make mammoth mammoth!”
“Right person can find mammoth weakness.”
“Right person? Like you?”
“Now, you am not need being insulting.”
“We try you way, Thag. Really. But, all we achieve is broken bones and empty stomachs. It am not be like in Booga tribe.”
“Oh, you am not talk about Booga tribe!”
“Yes! Yes, me am! Booga tribe hunt together and they always have plenty food for whole tribe for whole winter!”
“That am bad thing we have no word for yet!”
“Why am it bad that they have enough food?”
“Because they no am getting it for themself! Individually!”
“What am so special about individuals?”
“All good am flow from individuals!”
“Like what?”
“Like…what? Like…wheel, and…and…and like fire!”
“Wheel am developed by group of researchers in Denga Valley. Leader use it run over everybody else and claim credit, but everybody know it am created by group. Fire am discovered by accident by different people throughout continent. You am got any better examples?”
“ALL GOOD AM FLOW FROM INDIVIDUALS, NOT GROUPS!”
“Okay, Thag. Okay. My head am convinced. My stomach, though, well, my stomach am tough audience.”
“Tell stomach to stop being so lazy and go get food.”
“Lazy?”
“Yes! If you am hungry, it you own fault!
“Me own fault?”
“Yes! Nobody owe you food. If you hungry, it because you not go out and hunt for food youself.”
“Am you hungry because you am lazy?”
“Of course not! Me have bad luck. Me get big food…as soon as me have energy to get up.”
“Thag…me talk to Booga this morning.”
“WHAT?”
“He say we welcome to join his tribe.”
“So he tell us what to do?”
“It am called coordination.”
“It am called word we no have word for yet, but it bad. It very bad.”
“I am join Booga tribe. I rather be fed than good.”
“Fine! Go! You am see. The whole basis of you social organization am wrong. Nothing good am come of it. Nothing!”
“Good luck, Thag.”
“Me no need luck, Og. Me know how world work.”
And, that’s how the human dinosaurs died out.